


Reiniciar

by zhengxing



Category: EXO (Band), NCT (Band)
Genre: Heroes, M/M, Mexico, chanyeol is a horse, el zorro au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 18:06:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13641636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhengxing/pseuds/zhengxing
Summary: The notorious masked hero named Lay has faced many challenges and villains in his career, but none of them could ever compare to the challenge that is Luhan.





	Reiniciar

**Author's Note:**

> Ticket No. 238  
> Warnings: violence  
> Pairing: Lu Han/Lay  
> Time Period: Mid 1800's Mexico  
> Author's Note: Wow this was definitely my most ambitious project. I hope that the prompter will enjoy! I fell in love with this prompt at first sight, and as a Mexican myself, it was very fun to explore my country's history. As per request from prompter, I included a lot of Spanish! I did stray from the prompt a bit though, big apologies >.<  
> Thank you so much for the mods that organized this! Historical fics have always been one of my favorites!  
> Also! Yixing is 36 in the beginning of the story :)  
> The title is Spanish for "restart" :)

 

✦✦✦

  
  


“¡Auxilio!”

_ (help) _

 

The masked man raises his head, his ears perking up at the sound of distress. Emerging from the shadows, he spots his target, his eyes narrowing and his stance preparing.

 

It’s showtime.

 

He breaks out into a sprint, his feet gliding off the the dusty floor with precision and power, the wind blowing lightly on the cheeks of his face while it makes the cape on his back fly courageously. He is handsome, the whole pueblo knows it, the masked man who aids the people whenever they are in need. 

 

_ Lay. _

 

His target, now aware he is being chased, continues to run away with a purse that does not belong to him, but Lay is always faster, always stronger and always one step ahead of the face of evil. 

 

Bending his knees and exerting all his leg force into a final sprint, the masked man finally reaches the smuggling thief, drawing his sword to the man’s throat.

 

“I think you have something that does not belong to you,” the masked man smirks at the boy in front of him, wide eyed and ultimately defeated. The boy surrenders, giving the swordsman the small purse of pesos he had robbed from a little, old lady.

 

Lay pushes the thief to the floor, kneeling down enough to reach the thief’s hands and tying them together with some string he had in his pocket.  _ He’s just got himself a new assistant.  _

 

“What’s your name, young man?” the masked man asks, tying another knot to be secure. The boy continues to struggle to get out of his grip, but they both know it is pointless. Laughing at the thief trying to get out, the masked man gives the thief a small pat on his butt. The thief grunts in response, still refusing to give the masked man a solid response.

 

“¡Gracias, muchisimas gracias!” ( _ Thank you, thank you very much _ )  

 

The masked man turns from the thief on the floor to the old lady standing before him. Now, no longer crouching, he draws her purse from his pocket and silently gives it to her. She continues praising and thanking the masked man with tears forming in her old eyes, she even tries to pay him, but he never accepts. He does this not for profit, but for justice.

 

“Gracias, pero no puedo aceptar su dinero,” (Formal:  _ Thank you, but I cannot accept your money _ ) The masked man says, then kissing the old lady’s hand. He puts her hand down and gives her a gentle smile, one that he can only hope can tell her that saving her from danger is all the price he could ever receive.

 

He tears his eyes away from her, focusing on the thief laying on the ground once more. “As for you, ladrón, you’re coming with me.” ( _ thief _ ) He crouches down again, picking up the dirty boy off the floor who only continues to release himself, but Lay already has him draped over his shoulder in a tighter grip than the rope tied around the thief’s limbs. 

 

As he tries to walk away, he notices the masses of people that had surrounded the scene, all looking proud and amazed at the masked man. He sees some older ladies with  _ rosarios _ (rosary beads) wrapped around their hands, whispering prayers to themselves, for more peace and justice in their little town. These days, it seems the only generosity going around has been left to this mysterious masked man, God forbid he starts to feel burdened any time soon.

 

“¡Que viva Lay!” ( _ Long live Lay! _ ) 

 

The masked man looks around, a smile spreading his face before he could even try to stop himself, not like he would regardless. He is not a coldstone hero, doesn’t care about the image he’s suppose to have. He is, after all,  _ human _ just like the rest of them.

 

“Thank you,” he says gently, using his freehand to blow a kiss at the crowd, hoping it is enough to let his people know how grateful he is for their love and support. He does it for  _ them _ , for his people, for he’s seen first hand how it is to live without the help of anyone else.

 

He waves a bit more, but he can never stay too long. To keep all these people safe and peaceful, he has to take care of the danger himself. He starts walking away from the crowd, still holding the thief on top of his shoulder until he finds his horse again. 

 

He throws the thief over the horse, albeit a little too carelessly as he hears the boy grunt in pain, and quickly hops on the horse’s back.

 

“Vamonos,”( _ let’s go _ )  the masked man commands, and with that, the horse begins to gallop, the view of the horse and the two men on its back slowly disappears from sight, once again leaving the people to wonder who this masked man could possibly be.

 

But who really is the masked man? He is masked at all times, is he really as handsome as the pueblo (village) believes him to be? Sure, his body is lean, some have even seen the masked man half naked, and can attest to not only his body being skinny, but with soft muscles on his arms, the faint lines of abs forming on his stomach. His body sure seems to be attractive.

 

In their pueblo where it is so hot, and the sun is always shining brightly upon them, people tend to be more on the darker side. This heroic masked man, even with a slight tan, still remains impeccably fair, even when fighting criminals out in the sun for days.

 

But who is this man behind all the mystery?

 

As days pass and people are only left to continue wondering, Zhang Yixing remains in the shadows and can only watch. It is his one and only secret, and he hopes to take it to his grave.   
  


 

✦✦✦

 

“Chenle,” interrupts the silent journey between the two males. It hasn’t been very far since they disappeared from the crowd, but the journey has been a silent one, excluding the commands Yixing occasionally gives to his horse.

 

Yixing signals his horse to slow down, and turns to see the thief motionlessly lying next him, a frown on his soft, boyish face.

 

“What is that?” Yixing asks, raising his eyebrow at the boy. Said boy rolls his eyes back at him as if Yixing had said something stupid. (He was just asking?)

 

“My name, idiot. My name is Chenle and I want to what you plan on doing with me,” the man says blankly, as if too tired to put a good fight against the hero, or like someone who has given up. Perhaps, Yixing thinks it is a mix of both.

 

“Oh,” Yixing starts, not sure himself how to answer that question. He has the simple answer of course, but he knows it’s not an answer Chenle would want just yet. “It’s a complicated answer. Do you have time?” Yixing teases, even with knowing exactly what the answer is. Chenle grunts in response, and Yixing finds it to be enough of an answer to start his tale. 

 

“Alright then, Chenle. I guess before we start this, since you told me your name, it’s only fair I tell you mine as well, right?”

 

At this, the young boy perks up, raising both eyebrows in surprise at the masked man. There isn’t many people who can say that they know the masked man’s real name.

 

“Hi Chenle, my name is Yixing. My story starts when I was 21…”

 

✦✦✦

 

_ 15 years ago _

  
  
  


“What do you think I’ll need, Zhixiang?” Yixing asks, as he stares blankly at his duffel bag in front of him. He’s buzzing with nerves, granted by the fact that he is preparing for his first big mission as  _ Lay _ , new successor of  _ Show _ . 

 

He’s gone on big missions before, but it was mostly a sidekick role as he was still learning from Zhixiang. If he’s being honest, even though he’s supposed to be the main hero now, he still gets scared. (Being Lay doesn’t mean he’s no longer human, sadly.) Zhixiang has always assured him that in his long time of being the masked man, there has always been times where he felt fear, too.

 

“What you have there is already good enough, eh...actually a little more than enough. Can Chanyeol really carry all that?” Zhixiang questions, as he gives a look at Yixing’s overstuffed duffel bag. Yixing sighs, a little part of him knowing that he might have gotten a little overboard with the packing.

 

“If Chanyeol can carry both of us on his back, I’m sure he can carry me and my duffel bag, thanks,” Yixing responds wittily, glaring at Zhixiang. He can stand any slander thrown to him, but to his horse?  _ Unacceptable _ .

 

“You get too defensive over that stupid horse,” Zhixiang offhandedly remarks, waiting for Yixing’s reaction to amuse him. Amuses him it does, as he feels the overstuffed duffel bag hit his face. “Rude.”

 

Yixing grunts at him, as he starts going through his packing again and taking out what logically seems unnecessary. 

 

“Hey, are you sure you don’t want me to tag along?” Zhixiang asks, as he watches the younger man sort through his things. Yixing tenses in his spot.

 

“No, I should do this alone,” Yixing responds, his voice firm. As much as he knows that Zhixiang has been worrying about his for the past week since Yixing had announced his mission to him, he cannot let Zhixiang tag along on this one. He needs to be able to do a mission alone without the help of Zhixiang. 

 

He resumes to his sorting, hoping that Zhixiang will stop bothering him about it. Yixing should know better, as Zhixiang is almost as stubborn as he is.  _ Almost _ .

 

“But this mission a bit more complicated-”

 

“Zhixiang,” Yixing interrupts him, glaring at the older male. “I can’t keep depending on your help. A real hero needs no one but himself, that’s what you taught me.”

 

Zhixiang sighs, running his hand through his hair. “Alright, whatever. Do what you want, kid.”

 

Their conversation ends there, but it doesn’t stop Zhixiang from worrying about his young successor.  _ Does he really know what he’s getting himself into? Has he prepared Yixing well enough? _

 

Zhixiang supposes he better let it play out on its own, remembering to step back but never far enough where he can’t step back in if necessary. He should give Yixing space, it is the only way he will become completely independent.

 

✦✦✦

_ Present _

 

“So what’s the mission?” Chenle asks, with a slightly disinterested tone.

 

Yixing rolls his eyes at his impatience and rudeness. “I’m getting there.”

 

✦✦✦

 

_ 15 years ago _

  
  


As he starts setting off for his mission, Yixing looks back at his town longingly. He will be gone for at most a month, it’s not a comforting feeling leaving his town alone for so long with all the crime that goes around, and him not being there to fight it. He turns back around, looking straight at his path with determination; while there is crime in his town, the crime he will be fighting soon is much more evil.

 

Unfortunately, defeating this evil is much harder than fighting smaller crimes in his town. This evil has various people working together to exploit workers that Yixing proudly calls his  _ gente  _ ( _ people _ ). 

 

This evil is the gold mining companies from Spain, working with high officials in Mexico to collectively profit off the unfair treatment of Mexican workers in the gold mining field. Yixing has done extensive research on all his enemies in this case, and he knows to absolutely not get caught in the hands of Wu Yifan, a prominent governor of Mexico.

 

The trip to the nearest gold mine is quite far, it should take approximately two weeks, including all the necessary breaks he has to take to not overwork his horse, Chanyeol. Of course, also to be able to settle in to towns long enough to obtain anything he’s running low on. 

 

Even tonight, he should be arriving to the city next to his town. He’ll stay there overnight, and gather any last minute things before setting off again.

 

It hasn’t been long since he’s set off, yet he’s already grown sluggish and tired. As he continues going through his journey, on Chanyeol’s back guiding the horse to the next destination, Yixing grows pretty bored without anyone’s company besides his horse. Chanyeol’s cool and all, but he’s a horse, who unfortunately cannot communicate with Yixing.

 

“You can’t talk, right Chanyeol?” Yixing asks,  _ just in case _ , of course. As he hears no response from the horse, Yixing groans. “I’m already going crazy. Of course he can’t talk.”

 

Even so, Yixing doesn’t stay quiet despite not being able to talk with anyone. Instead, he sings the songs he learned from his mother when he was a child, along with famous Mexican songs he has learned through the years. 

 

There’s no land he’d rather be than the land of Mexico, the place he was born and raised in as his parents were and  _ their _ parents were. He hopes that in the future, if he were to ever have kids, that his kids will be born and raised here and that the cycle continues on.

 

The hours and minutes pass by quicker after Yixing starts passing his time singing. He notices that it is now pitch black, besides the luna (moon) that shines so brightly on Yixing’s skin. Luckily, Yixing and Chanyeol had worked hard all day and managed to reach the outsides of the city, if the frequency of buildings surrounding them is any indication. Yixing hops off of Chanyeol, now walking alongside his horse as they parade through the streets of this new city.

 

Yixing still doesn’t know where he will stay for the night, so he must quickly interact with the locals and hopefully find someone kind enough to let him stay in their home. He’s getting stares from everyone that are also passing by, their eyes neither judgemental nor praising. At least Yixing isn’t wearing his mask, or their stares would definitely be judging him.

 

As Yixing walks around the city, he can’t help but admire the beauty that surrounds him. Mexican architect was always fascinated Yixing, even though he would never consider it as his profession, but he still admires it. 

 

As he walks, he can feel the rough dirt underneath his shoes. He doesn’t mind any of it though, reminding himself when there was a time he hadn’t even one pair of shoes and had to walk barefoot. Despite being Lay, Yixing doesn’t make any profit off it. He, like every other citizen, must make money by 

 

He continues walking, even with all the staring and gawking, before he spots a small, worn out bar around the corner of the village. Yixing cheers internally, knowing it’s the perfect place to find someone his age and willing to help him.

 

He finds a space outside the bar to leave Chanyeol in, meticulously tying his horse to a wooden 

 

He safely leaves Chanyeol outside of the bar before making his way inside. As he goes inside, he can’t ignore the stares coming from his left and right, most likely due to him not being from around here. Yixing shrugs it off, going straight for a drink because after the day he’s had, he thinks he’s deserved it. 

 

Yixing orders his drink, paying no mind to everyone around him looking at him oddly. He decides to let them watch him for as long as they want, perhaps that will help them get used to his presence. After all, Yixing is only there to find someone to house him for the night. 

 

Yixing continues to sit, quietly drinking and eavesdropping on conversations happening around him. From his left, he overhears a conversation about their current corn production, which makes Yixing chuckle a bit. From his right is another man, and just like Yixing, he’s sitting there alone and drinkin silently. Yixing smirks, eyeing the man and decides the man would be the perfect guy for Yixing to befriend.

 

Yixing knows not to judge someone based on looks, but he can’t help but think the man looks nice and friendly. Perhaps it’s his feminine facial features that make him look like a soft person, but Yixing knows that he feels like he’s a good person. He decides to trust his gut feeling. 

 

Just as Yixing is about to approach the young man, a group of men beat him to it, though they don’t look as friendly as Yixing. Yixing stops his steps, sitting back down but keeping a close eye on the scene.

 

“Luhan, you know we had a deal,” one of them tells the young man, his pose and gaze meant to intimidate the man. The man, Luhan, doesn’t look fazed, and only scoffs.

 

“I already told you I’d have the money for you a little late,” Luhan tells him, rolling his eyes. Yixing almost chuckles, surprised by the confidence the young man seems to have faced with 4, muscular men obviously larger and stronger than him. It spurs Yixing to continue watching the interaction.

 

“You said that 2 fucking weeks ago. We need the money _ now _ , Luhan,” one of the other men says, stepping forward and getting close to Luhan’s face. The glare on his face tells Yixing that Luhan’s safety might not be secured anymore, causing Yixing to tense in his defense.

 

“I don’t have the money,” Luhan says through his teeth. He looks away from the man, avoiding his glare. Suddenly, the man’s hands grip on the collar of Luhan’s shirt, to which Yixing immediately stands up from his seat.

 

“Let him go,” Yixing says, before he can even stop himself. Truly, it’s not Yixing’s personality to get into other people’s business, but he needs Luhan to trust him.

 

“Mind your own business,” one of the men tell him, now glaring at Yixing. Just like Luhan, Yixing isn’t fazed, but rather continues approaching them. 

 

“I’ll ask you once more, please let him go,” Yixing tells one of them, his gaze sharp and dangerous. The man laughs right at his face, before quickly shifting to throw a punch at Yixing, but Yixing saw it coming. He dodges the punch, and swiftly grabs Luhan’s arms and drags him away from the men. 

 

The men react slowly at the fact that someone managed to slip through their fingers, letting Yixing act fast and escape the bar with Luhan following behind him. He helps Luhan get onto Chanyeol, before hopping on Chanyeol himself and running off. 

 

Chanyeol must have managed to understand that Yixing might be in trouble, now galloping as fast as he can. Yixing isn’t sure where Chanyeol is even taking them, but it doesn’t matter to Yixing as long as they’ve gotten far away enough from the bar and the men. 

 

Yixing notices that Luhan has been pretty quiet throughout their journey, despite the man clutching on Yixing to make sure he doesn’t fall. Yixing looks back and sneaks a peak at the man, noticing that the man looks fearful, unlike the man Yixing watched inside the bar.

 

Yixing looks back straight ahead before clearing his throat. “Are you okay?”

 

His question seems to shock Luhan, as he tenses even more. “Y-Yes. Sorry, I’ve just never ridden a horse before so I’m a little disoriented.”

 

To this, Yixing starts laughing a rather squeaky laugh, he hopes the man doesn’t him judge him for it. Once his laughter fades off, Luhan speaks once more.

 

“Where exactly are we heading? We’re nearing another city…”

 

“Shit,” Yixing lets out a curse. He pats Chanyeol on the neck to tell the horse to stop, making all 3 of them halt. “Uh, would you happen to know a place where we can all stay for the night? I’m travelling and in need of a place to stay.”

 

Yixing scratches the back of his neck as he watches Luhan’s face. Mostly, it is still full of terror but it seems he’s more at ease now that they’ve stopped for a break. 

 

“You’re in luck, I happen to live a few minutes away. You can stay as long as you want, for, er, saving me,” Luhan tells him shyly. Yixing grins, nodding at him.

 

“Where to?”

 

Luhan begins navigating them, passing instructions to Yixing while he passes them onto Chanyeol. Luhan even comments that he thinks Chanyeol is a smart horse, to which Yixing snorts. Chanyeol is good with instructions, bad at everything else.

 

✦✦✦

_ Present _

 

“So is that what you do? Pick up good looking, young men and take them on your horse?”

 

“We’ll get nowhere if you keep interrupting me, kid. Plus, you’re ugly.”

 

“Am not.”

 

✦✦✦

 

_ 15 years ago _

  
  


Within minutes, just like Luhan had said, they arrived in front of a small house. The house is a literal cube, painted white with a basic design. Yixing couldn’t care less of how big or small the house is, just that it’s gonna be a place where he can peacefully sleep. 

 

Since it’s late, the two men silently prepared for sleep. Before Yixing entered Luhan’s house, he made sure Chanyeol was comfortable sleeping outside in Luhan’s backyard. It isn’t anything Chanyeol is used to, as he has a pretty nice stable back at Yixing’s home, but it will do for the night. 

 

When Yixing enters Luhan’s house, he sees that Luhan is already preparing his bed for the night. It takes a while for Luhan to notice Yixing’s presence, but when he does, his face lights up.

 

“I never thanked you properly, so...thank you. I don’t know how my face would look right now if it weren’t for you,” Luhan tells him sheepishly.

 

Yixing smiles at him, before assuring him, “Don’t worry about it.”

 

In the end, Yixing sleeps on Luhan’s floor as Luhan claimed his bed was his sacred space. Yixing accepted that, and quietly accepted Luhan’s floor. As long as he’s not sleeping outside, Yixing pays it no mind. 

 

Once his head hit the comfort of Luhan’s pillow, it was lights out. Yixing can’t remember the last time he had fallen to sleep so quickly, but it was really nice.

 

After hours of sleeping peacefully, Yixing awoke in the early morning. His sleep was so nice he almost regretted getting up, but he had responsibilities he had to take care of. That didn’t stop him from enjoying his slumber a bit more, as he continues to lay on Luhan’s floor.

 

He shifts from the floor, now at full view of Luhan’s bed, except the man was now gone. Scrunching his eyebrows, Yixing finally stands up from the floor. Making sure to walk quietly, he walks into Luhan’s kitchen where he spots the younger man huddled around something. 

 

Yixing tenses once he realizes the  _ something _ Luhan is huddled around is his bag. Yixing quickly approaches Luhan, ripping the bag from the man once he spots it. He faces Luhan’s agape mouth, and wide opened eyes. Yixing silently curses, knowing he was too late.

 

Luhan had seen it. Luhan knows.

 

Yixing sighs, trying to calm himself as he starts nervously pacing around Luhan’s kitchen. He hid his bag from the man on purpose, as he puts all his Lay stuff, including his mask, inside of that bag. 

 

“I didn’t mean to look through your stuff, but I wasn’t sure it was yours. I’m sorry,” Luhan tells him, guilt lacing in his voice. “I w-won’t tell anyone about your secret, I swear! Please don’t hurt me?”

 

Yixing finally looks at the man, noticing that his eyes seem to be sincere. Yixing sighs, shaking his head. “I won’t hurt you, that’s not what I do.”

 

“Then,” Luhan speaks again, “What do you plan to do with me?”

 

That’s the exact question floating through Yixing’s own head. Zhixiang will kill him if he finds out that someone knows Yixing’s identity. Yixing has to act fast.

 

“I don’t know, alright? There’s not really a protocol for people finding out my identity, it’s never happened before,” Yixing tells him honestly, God knows why. Yixing tsks, but refocuses his mind on his mission. He can’t let this get in the way of that. “Alright, you’re coming with me for the time being.”

 

“Excuse me?” Luhan tells him, looking at Yixing wearily. 

 

“I’m on a mission right now and I can’t let this get in the way of that. You’ll be coming with me for the time being, then I’ll figure out what to do with you, alright? Let’s go, we have a long day ahead of us.”

 

“What? Why should I?” Luhan asks, raising his voice at Yixing. The attitude the male had when he was in the bar resurfaces, to which Yixing smirks at. He hopes Luhan won’t be too much of a brat if he’s going to be travelling with Yixing.

 

“If you want protection from those guys, I would highly recommend following what I tell you to do,” Yixing says. Luhan looks conflicted, and glaring holes into Yixing’s face as if it would solve anything. 

 

After a few seconds, Luhan’s face turns to look defeated, but nonetheless compliant. “Let’s go.”

 

Yixing starts preparing to leave again, now with the help of Luhan. He took a couple of Luhan’s blankets in case they had to sleep at another house later in the day, and also made sure to fill up his water bottle gourd enough to keep himself, Luhan and Chanyeol hydrated. 

 

“Do you have a gourd water bottle?” Yixing asks casually, while filling up his own. His is only really meant for himself and Chanyeol, so he worries it won’t be enough for all 3 of them. Luhan nods his head, leaving to go get his water bottle gourd. “By the way…”

 

Luhan looks up, waiting for Yixing to continue. For the first time, Yixing realizes just how pretty Luhan’s eyes are. Yixing clears his throat nervously, before finishing. “How did you know who I was? I’m not from around here.”

 

“Ah, that,” Luhan says, letting himself smile awkwardly. “I’m not from around here either. I tend to travel around this area a lot, and through my travels, I had heard of you from the town over. You’re really fascinating, I actually saw you in action once,” Luhan has gotten redder at every word that he had spoken, which highly amuses Yixing.

 

“Fascinating? Most people usually say I’m quite handsome,” Yixing says, smirking at the snort Luhan gives him. 

 

Not long after, the two hopped back onto Chanyeol and prepared to travel once more. Only this time, Yixing had a companion other than Chanyeol, to which he was grateful for (not like he’d tell Luhan, though.)

 

At first, the two spent their time going back and forth, singing songs that most Mexican kids learned in their childhood. Though unspoken, the only reason they did this was because Luhan was still slightly scared of riding Chanyeol, so Yixing tried to help by easing his nerves a bit. Thankfully, as Luhan revealed after their singing session finished, Luhan really loves music and it was easy to make him feel more relaxed when he was singing a song.

 

✦✦✦

_ Present _

 

“Ooh, can we sing a song together? I’ve got a killer voice.”

 

“...Maybe later.”

 

“Sick!”

 

✦✦✦

 

_ 15 years ago _

  
  


Soon after their voices got tired from singing, the two took a break and continued the journey in silence. Soon after, Yixing felt Luhan’s head lay on his shoulder, the man having fallen asleep mid journey.

 

Yixing chuckles, letting Luhan rest his head on his shoulder for the time being. He figures it’s already gotten pretty late, so he better find somewhere to stay quickly.

 

Not completely tired out from the singing session, Yixing starts humming under his breath lightly enough to not wake up the man sleeping on his shoulder. 

 

Yixing carries through the night, not stopping until he finally finds himself in front of a hotel. Yixing sighs in relief, now not having to worry about finding someone to house him, Luhan and his horse. Turning his head, he pokes Luhan’s cheek lightly to wake the man up.

 

Luhan rustles a bit, too much that he starts to lose his balance off of Chanyeol, to which Yixing acts quickly enough to grab him. This causes Luhan to fully wake up from the shock of almost falling off. 

 

“Where are we?” Luhan asks, once Yixing releases him from the grip. Yixing turns his head toward the hotel, as if to tell Luhan without actually using words. Luhan nods in conformation.

 

Yixing gets off of Chanyeol first, then helping Luhan get off right after him. Yixing grabs his bag from Chanyeol’s harness, as that is where he has stored all of his _ pesos _ (Mexican currency) in. Zhixiang had told him he didn’t need to bring that much money, but now Yixing begs to differ. He now realizes that he has brought just the right amount.

 

“Hotel rooms are really awesome here,” Luhan comments as they walk inside. Yixing hums, looking around and noting that everything seems to look nice and clean. 

 

Unlike their stay in Luhan’s house, the both of them got to sleep on a bed that night. Yixing had must have been so tired the night before that he hadn’t even noticed how Luhan snores very loudly. Yixing laughs it off, before finding the snores from Luhan to be comforting. Yixing has fought many villains so far in his career as Lay, but nothing beats the villainous silence that haunts him. 

 

Loneliness.

 

Yixing sleeps with a tiny smile on his face, no longer feeling alone.

 

✦✦✦

 

“So how did you start doing all of this?” Luhan asks him the next morning, once they’ve started their journey again. Despite sleeping for so long, Luhan had been whiney about waking up so early to travel, but nonetheless let himself be brought on Chanyeol’s back.

 

“Doing Lay?” Yixing asks, raising both his eyebrows at Luhan. Luhan nods his head, his eyes attentive on Yixing. “It’s a funny story.”

 

✦✦✦

_ Present _

 

“Ugh, you’re so annoying with all your stalling. You bring up this interesting thing, yet you’ll take forever to get to the good part! Now you’re going to tell me a story within a story? Get to it,” Chenle interrupts, clearly annoyed at Yixing’s antics.

 

Blinking a couple times, Yixing is speechless. He hadn’t noticed that he’d been doing that, but now realizes he’s let himself get too dramatic with his storytelling. 

 

“Ah, I guess you’re right. My bad.”

 

✦✦✦

 

_ 15 years ago _

  
  


The rest of the day is spent by Yixing telling Luhan all kinds of stories from his life. More specifically, as asked by Luhan, his stories of being Lay.

 

Yixing hadn’t always been the face of justice and fairness. On the contrary, Yixing’s childhood had quickly proven the young man how cruel and unfair the world could be. Yixing was blessed to have both his parents in his life, but their family was very poor and had trouble getting income.

 

When Yixing hit his late teens, his father had gotten into an accident that left him injured and unable to work. As the only other man of the household, Yixing took it to be the new income of the family. It was easier said than done, as getting into the workforce proved to be very difficult.

 

Working at a shop that sold fruits, his daily income was not enough to get his family by. Yixing had started pickpocketing and scamming people out of their money even for the slightest amount of money that would help his family survive.

 

Yixing’s mother had raised her son with good manners, making Yixing feel even worse about it.  _ For his family, what need to be done had to be done, _ Yixing often told himself. All of this was for his family.

 

Yixing always feared that one day he’d get caught, but he never imagined it’d actually happen one day, especially from Show. Try as much as he could, Yixing was beat by Show in the end. Yixing had always felt guilty about stealing, but it had really hit him once faced in front of Show, someone he had idolized. Not able to contain himself, he started crying.

 

Zhixiang had actually laughed in Yixing’s face, accepting all the apologies coming from Yixing. Yixing did not resist to giving back the money he had stolen, and apologized profusely to both Show and the person he had robbed.

 

Yixing clearly remembers how Zhixiang had taken him home that night, telling the younger that he’d be back to check up on him, and to make sure the younger stopped stealing. Yixing nodded, telling his idol he could come whenever. He didn’t think this meant that Show would show up the next morning, without his mask, standing outside of Yixing’s house.

 

Zhixiang would start doing that more frequently, accompanying Yixing to work and helping around as much as he could. Then, after Yixing finished work, Zhixiang would walk with him back to Yixing’s house. At first, Yixing hadn’t really questioned why Zhixiang kept following him, but one day his curiosity got the best of him.

 

“I’m not gonna steal again, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Yixing had mumbled to Zhixiang one day on their walk back to Yixing’s house. Zhixiang dared to snort at the young man, and shook his head.

 

“That’s not why I’m doing this,” is all he had said to Yixing, as if it answered his question. Yixing frowned, stopping his steps to face Zhixiang.

 

“That didn’t answer my question.”

 

Zhixiang laughed at the confidence Yixing suddenly had to confront him like that. “You’re funny, kid. I like you.”

 

Zhixiang quickly look at their surroundings before turning back to look at Yixing.

 

“Eh, let’s cut to the chase, now shall we? I’m old now and have a wife to take care of, Show needs a replacement, you need money, logically then you’d be my replacement.”

 

Initially, it was a lot for Yixing to take at once. Their journey after that was quiet, mostly because of all the thoughts Yixing had in his head. Debating and running through each scenario, the good and the bad. 

 

Zhixiang was kind enough to give Yixing some space for a couple of days, before returning again and asking if Yixing had thought about it enough. Not like he would ever tell Zhixiang, but it was almost the only thing Yixing could think about during those days. As much as he much dreamed about doing what Zhixiang did, he was scared he wouldn’t be good enough.

 

He had expressed this to Zhixiang, but Zhixiang took it as an acceptance. The next day, Zhixiang was already training Yixing. 

 

Slowly but surely, Yixing had become Lay.

 

✦✦✦

_ Present _

 

“Ah, the hero with the tragic backstory,” Chenle says sarcastically, but Yixing knows deep down that the kid only tells him this because he’s actually interested in his story.

 

Yixing just shakes his head and smiles. He’s starting to find him to be a little cute.

 

✦✦✦

 

_ 15 years ago _

 

The days slip by as the two spend their days going through towns, eating many of the foods and sleeping comfortably between stranger’s houses and hotels. The two never stay in one place more than one day, but that doesn’t stop them from making friends along the way.

 

One night, Luhan had even dragged Yixing back to one the bars again. All he can say is it was a way better experience than the bar the two had met in. The terrible headache he had the next morning almost didn’t make the night worth it, but seeing Luhan in the same state made him feel slightly better. At least the both of them were suffering together.

 

During the week, Yixing had also gotten very used to Luhan’s presence. He found that the man could be very pushy, but other times very sweet. Most of the time, the two were found laughing together at something completely stupid. It was their charm.

 

Luhan always knew when to get serious. He would listen to all of Yixing’s rambles, even the incoherent ones. Ones of Yixing’s worries and baggage he has to carry with his family still struggling financially, but also the pressure of being Lay. Luhan always listened, even encouraging Yixing to be more confident in himself. Times like these were ones where Yixing had seen Luhan as older than him, which made him confused as to how he didn’t even know Luhan’s age.

 

He had asked Luhan about his age, but the man dodged his question and changed the topic. Yixing had found it odd, but let it slide. Perhaps Luhan was hiding his age for a reason.

 

It wasn’t just his age though, Yixing later pondered, but it was everything about Luhan’s personal life. Yixing doesn’t know what town Luhan was born in, where he grew up, if he has a family, etc. All he knows are his quirks and his personality, but Yixing isn’t sure if he can base Luhan’s character just from that.

 

Yixing always goes back to their initial meeting with the scary men. It has Yixing thinking that perhaps Luhan isn’t the most safe person to be around. Even though he worries, he always lets himself have fun with Luhan anway.

 

“Yixing?”

 

Luhan calls him, as the two lay side by side on one bed. Yixing had been low on pesos so they opted to just rent out one bed for the two of them. Seeing how close the two had gotten in the past few days, Yixing didn’t hesitate to lay next to Luhan. As for Luhan, he just learned to get used to sleeping with another body as he wasn’t too happy about it at first.

 

“Hmm,” Yixing answers. He lays on his bed in complete darkness, looking up at the ceiling of the hotel room.

 

“This has been really fun,” Luhan whispers, his breath hitting Yixing’s neck. Yixing immediately spasms from the reaction, earning a cackle from Luhan where his jaw practically unhinges from his head. Once Luhan found that Yixing’s neck was sensitive, he used it to his advantage anytime he could. 

 

_ This has been really fun. _

 

Luhan’s words echo in Yixing’s head, not knowing why his heart sped up upon hearing those words come from Luhan. Even at hearing Luhan laugh, warmthness spreads through Yixing’s body.

 

Yixing doesn’t know what to make of this feeling, but since it feels nice, he decides to just ignore it. After all, they’ll arrive to the gold mines the next day.

  
  


✦✦✦

 

Yixing is swarming with nerves the next morning, all throughout waking up and getting on Chanyeol. He only has one chance to do this mission, plus it took him days to arrive. If he doesn’t achieve this, he doesn’t dare think about what Zhixiang would think of him.

 

Luhan notices how tense Yixing is, at first not sure what to do about it. Soon enough, Luhan began to ramble about anything and everything, which Yixing appreciated a lot. It made the journey to the mines all the less longer than it really was, with Luhan’s voice and words encouraging Yixing to continue and to finish his mission.

 

Once they reached 10 minutes away from the mines, Yixing helped both of them get off. Luhan looked at him confused, as Yixing never actually explained his mission to Luhan.

 

“Please just watch Chanyeol while I do this. I’ll be back soon, just wait patiently here,” Yixing tells him. Luhan nods, and wishes Yixing good luck once more.

 

Yixing thanks him, then reaching to his bag to grab his mask. As Luhan waves to him, Yixing quickly puts the mask on and heads towards the mines.

Yixing repeats the game plan through his head a couple of times, making sure he has it all memorized so that everything goes to plan. 

 

Right away, he notices two tall men, both pale with light brown hair. Yixing grits his teeth to keep from getting too angry, as he knows them to be two Spanish men exploiting the Mexican workers.

 

Walking lightly on his feet, his nimble feet get him right behind the two men. He knows he’s outnumbered, but if he can take out these two men then he’ll have no problem executing the rest of his plan.

 

With skilled speed, Yixing knocks both of the men’s heads together, causing the two men to tumble down. One seems to resist the pain, and immediately attacks Yixing by trying to grab at Yixing’s arm, but Yixing is quicker. As the man approaches Yixing, Yixing waits for just the right second to land a kick at the side of the man’s head enough to leave him unconscious, but not enough to kill him.

 

With his heart beating at a dangerous pace, and his breathing becoming more unsteady, Yixing races inside the mine. Upon first sight, he notices that all the mine workers are still working despite Yixing having defeated their bosses.

 

“ _ ¡Todos Escuchenme! _ ” (Everyone listen up!)

 

All the workers pause their actions, all watching Yixing with confusion. Yixing looks around, making sure every single one of the workers is watching him closely.

 

“I’m here to save you from this terrible labor. All the gold that you mine, you only get a very little amount from it. All your hard work goes to barely no income. It is unfair, it is unjust, it is cruel. Please, I encourage every single one of you to grab as much gold as you can and run off as fast as you can. Don’t come back, just sell the gold and find a new job.”

 

A round of cheers echo through the mines, while the men start throwing all the gold they can into their bags.

 

Yixing even goes to some men and helps them, making sure that they get enough gold to sell to be able to maintain their families for the time they will be unemployed. It will give them lots of time to find a new, better job.

 

“What is going on here?!”

 

The men freeze, including Yixing, upon hearing the angry roar. Yixing looks at the voice, recognizing it to be Wu Yifan himself.

 

“ _ ¡Corren! ¡Rapido! _ ” (Run! Hurry!) Yixing yells at the workers, who start rushing out of the mines through the other entrance. That leaves Yixing alone with the angry governor.

 

“I don’t know who you are or what your intentions are, but I will tell you right now that kidnapping my brother was not a good choice on your part, _ Lay _ ,” he tells him, his tone condescending when he calls Yixing’s hero name. 

 

“I never kidnapped anyone,” Yixing quickly responds, so confident that he starts walking towards Yifan. Yifan huffs at Yixing’s response, resembling so much like those bulls that they fight in Spain.

 

“Stop lying! I know you kidnapped Luhan for God knows what reason, and also knocked out two of my employees and enforced stealing! What act of good and justice do you claim this to be?” Yifan roars at him, almost spitting at Yixing, seeing how close the two are to each other now. 

 

Yixing almost hears his heart break from Yifan’s words, and the processing of Yifan’s words comes to Yixing so slowly. Yixing loses count at how long he stands there, with Yifan glaring at him. 

 

Luhan is Wu Yifan’s brother.

 

Yixing is at loss of words, and loss of being able to think straight. If this is true then that could mean that Luhan had been betraying him the entire time. All those moments and days spent together had meant nothing the other man. Now that he thinks about it, it now makes perfect sense to why Luhan would hide his personal life. Yixing feels like such an idiot.

 

“You’re in big fucking trouble-”

 

Yixing swings his leg to hit Yifan’s crotch, and quickly sprints away as Yifan huddles over in pain. Yixing just continues running with all his might towards the place he had left Chanyeol at. He hopes Luhan at least had left his horse to him, but starts to doubt it as he doesn’t see Chanyeol anywhere within sight. 

 

Yixing stops running, stopping to regain his breath. While he starts wiping the sweat from his forehead, he suddenly hears the familiar sounds of Chanyeol’s feet trotting on the ground. Yixing grins at the sight of his horse, running to Chanyeol before hopping on as quick as possible. 

 

“I really love you, Chanyeol,” Yixing tells his horse, and the horse starts preparing to help Yixing escape. Just as Chanyeol starts running off, Yixing hears a voice calling to him.

 

As he turns back, he sees Luhan’s figure start getting smaller and smaller, but his shouts still audible even as Chanyeol runs farther off.

 

Yixing bites his lip, forcing himself to stop looking back and to look forward. He can’t let Luhan and the betrayal get in the way of his safety. 

 

He’ll figure it out later.

  
  


✦✦✦

_ Present _

 

“Holy fuck, what an asshole!” Chenle says, his eyes wide in response to Yixing’s story. 

 

“Hey, language,” Yixing scolds at him. 

 

✦✦✦

 

_ 15 years ago _

  
  


Yixing made sure to take a different route back, as Luhan could easily tell his brother of where Yixing might be. Some nights, in order not to risk it, Yixing did sleep out with only the comfort of Chanyeol’s body. The days and nights draw even longer without the presence of Luhan, but more with the gaping hole in Yixing’s heart.

 

What puzzles Yixing is how much of an impact Luhan had left on him. He’d only known the man for less than 2 weeks, yet he had grown so attached to the man. Yixing hasn’t felt this miserable before, and he takes in account all the hardships he faced growing up. 

 

Heartbreak. It’s the only explanation Yixing could come up with, but it leaves Yixing with more questions than answers.

 

Yixing arrives home safely, somehow, but he made it. He first went to check if his family was alright, and a wave of relief hit him to see his family safe inside their own. Next, Yixing had quickly visited Zhixiang to recount everything that happened in the trip, excluding the part that Yixing may or may not have liked Luhan romantically. Or still is. Yixing is still confused about it himself.

 

So Yixing began laying low, not even going to work. Zhixiang assured him that he’d take care of the town while Yixing was on break, and that he would provide anything Yixing’s family needed. 

 

Zhixiang has been visiting Yixing pretty frequently, therefore Yixing didn’t find it odd in the slightest when he heard a knock on his door. Thinking it was Zhixiang, Yixing readily opened the door, but tensed once he realized that the person standing before him was not Zhixiang at all.

 

“Yixing, please listen to me!” Luhan yells, right as Yixing tries to close his door as fast as possible. This time, Luhan was faster than him and forced his way inside of Yixing’s house.

 

“Luhan, please, if you need to take me then do it, but please let’s not do this in front of my family,” Yixing tells him, surrendering himself to the taller man. Upon hearing this, Luhan frowns at Yixing looking genuinely upset.

 

“Are you an idiot? I understand my situation doesn’t look the best, but do you really think I would betray you?” Luhan asks, taking a hold of Yixing’s hand and pressing it to his chest. Yixing looks into those deer like eyes that he’s grown so fond of, and recognizes the sincerity they have. Yixing trusts his instincts once more, silently praying to God that it doesn’t fail him.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, but I’ll tell you everything now, I promise,” Luhan says. Yixing nods, before dragging the two of them to Yixing’s room. 

 

Luhan looks around, probably noting the size of it. Yixing knows it’s small, especially for the hero that he is, but Zhixiang had always enforced humbliness to Yixing. 

 

“Ah, where do I start,” Luhan says, biting at his lip in nervousness. “My name is Luhan, as you already know. I was born in the capital, and was raised there. Currently, I am 22 years old and my birthday is on April 20th. When I was around 10, my parents split and I stayed with my mom. Thankfully, she had enough money to support the two of us, and I was happy. Eventually, my mom remarried and suddenly I had a stepfather and a stepbrother.”

 

Luhan pauses, watching Yixing as if to make sure that Yixing is keeping up and processing everything. 

 

“I know that what my stepfather and stepbrother do is wrong, I am completely against it. That’s why I left that house and live alone, and I have absolutely nothing to do with them. Please believe me.”

 

Luhan grabs Yixing’s hand again, gripping on Yixing’s hand tightly, as if not wanting Yixing to run away again. Yixing presses his free hand against Luhan’s chest, feeling the beat of the man’s heart. 

 

It beats at the same speed of his own heart. 

 

Yixing doesn’t know if he really is stupid, or naive, or both, but his heart believes Luhan, so he takes the risk.

 

“I believe you,” Yixing whispers, his lips only a few centimeters from touching Luhan’s. He presses his forehead against Luhan’s, staring at Luhan’s eyes for a few seconds.

 

It’s cheesy, but Yixing could look at Luhan’s eyes for an eternity. So much richness of brown and hazel hues that circle in Luhan’s eyes. More than that, the pure look of adoration and warmth that Luhan’s look gives leaves Yixing feeling gooey inside.

 

Impatient, Luhan crashes their lips together in one long kiss. One of Luhan’s hands card through Yixing’s hair, while the other hand grabs Yixing’s torso to bring the shorter man closer.

 

Yixing himself wraps both arms around Luhan’s tiny waist, feeling pure bliss from having the man in his arms.

 

Their story is no fairytale and is far from perfect, but there is nothing Yixing would change about it. (Except maybe the fact that Wu Yifan and his powerful employees are out to get him, but that’s a story for a different time.)

 

✦✦✦

_ Present _

 

“Gay,” Chenle comments. Yixing rolls his eyes, wacking the kid softly. 

 

“Yes, I’m gay, thank you,” Yixing mutters. He taps Chanyeol on the neck, signalling the horse to stop. “We’re here.”

 

Chenle tries to get up, looking around to see where Yixing had taken them. “Where are we?”

 

“My house,” Yixing answers, as he helps Chenle get off of Chanyeol. To Chenle’s delight, Yixing starts to untie the ropes from Chenle’s body. 

 

“Why am I at your house?” Chenle asks, not suspicious but more just curious. Yixing slips out a smile, glad that the kid has become less hostile towards him.

 

“Hero training,” Yixing answers simply. Chenle chokes on his spit, his face becoming red.

 

“E-Excuse me?”

 

Yixing smirks, finding the scene to spark familiar memories.

 

“Eh, let’s cut to the chase, now shall we? I’m old now and have a husband to take care of, Lay needs a replacement, you need money given from the fact that you steal, so logically then you’d be my replacement.”

  
  
  
  



End file.
